I was fortunate to grow up surrounded by art. My mother and grandmother are both well established Northwest artists and members of Women Painters of Washington. My grandfather has an exceptional eye for beauty and collected antiques from a variety of cultures his entire life. Whenever our family traveled, the itinerary was structured around museum visits.

I grew up trying to equate beauty with value. At art museums, I would tell myself “this painting is beautiful because it’s priceless,” but I never really believed it.

Fine art never fulfilled me as much as folk art. I found myself much more drawn to the Norwegian wedding chests my grandfather collected, or the folky fish carvings my father brought with him when he immigrated to the United States from Nova Scotia. These objects had stories and functional qualities that resonated with me in a way that fine art rarely could.

Over time, this cognitive dissonance led me to reevaluate my definition of beauty. It was my grandfather who initially suggested I read Soetsu Yanagi’s writing, and I instantly gravitated towards Yanagi's intuitive approach to beauty

I began sharing my explorations of mingei on Instagram, under the username @mingei.archive. It became a repository for images I stumbled across while researching mingei. Eventually, researching turned into collecting, and collecting turned into selling. I opened Mingei Archive Gallery in July, 2021 in Seattle, WA, for the same reason I originally created the Instagram account: to share the art and philosophy of mingei with you.

Since its inception, my grandfather and I have sourced a range of objects that embody the Mingei spirit, and we are excited to share these objects with you.

Almost all the objects I sell are functional in nature and have their own narratives. I am attracted to imperfection, repairs, and the evidence of time.

My approach to mingei mirrors my approach to life. I enjoy noticing little things that others may overlook. Appreciating the human elements of handmade crafts helps us better appreciate life itself.

-Aubrey MacKenzie